The Brentford Branch Special - alighting at Southall station

Back in the 1980s, the Great Western Railway Preservation Group (GWRPG), which was based in the old Otto Monsted margarine factory next to Southall station, would run shuttles on the freight-only Brentford branch on Bank Holidays. On one such day, Easter Day in 1984, I took the opportunity to ride down this rare freight branch in one of the classic and versatile Class 121 'Bubble Cars' W55034. Here is the unit back at Southall station after completing the journey.

Note the hand-made steps used to disembark the passengers, as there was no passenger platform for the Brentford branch! A Class 47 is caught 'in action' passing through the station with a down express.

Class 121 Pressed Steel Single / 2-car DMUs
Following the success of the Gloucester Singles the Western Region ordered a further batch of sixteen single cars and ten trailers, this time built by Pressed Steel in Linwood (Scotland).

The units took over services originally monopolised by GWR built railcars but as more and more cross country and branch lines closed that work became less and less. Consequently, the class was concentrated around the Reading, Bristol, Cardiff and Plymouth areas. They were used on the West London branch lines, the Severn Beach branch, lines in the Welsh valleys and the Cornish branch lines.

They were very popular for departmental use and preservation, and some vehicles returned to passenger traffic for Chiltern Railways and Arriva Trains Wales. They remained the last type of first generation DMU in mainline passenger use.

The DTS was the equivalant of an unpowered Class 117 DMS, with the same internal arrangement (in both un-gangwayed and gangwayed styles). Again it was all second class seating, the front two saloons were identical to the DMBS with 45 and 20 seats, although there was no door fitted to the dividing partition as both saloons were now smoking. There was a door into the 26 seat non-smoking section which was in the place of the guards van / cab on the DMBS, making a total of 91 seats for the vehicle. The rear seat was the full width seating six.

Only the DTS vehicles were gangwayed, they couldn't use the gangway working with a bubble car but could be used with other classes. The DTS vehicles were renumbered to 54280-9 circa 1983.

Information courtesy of: railcar.co.uk/type/class-121/

Brentford Line The Brentford branch line, also known as the Brentford Dock Line, is a freight-only branch railway line in west London. The route, which opened in 1859, was backed by the Great Western Railway and built by the Great Western & Brentford Railway Company. It ran 4 miles (6.4 km) from Southall to Brentford Dock. In 1964, the line to the wharves was closed. The branch now runs from the Great Western Main Line to a goods yard and waste transfer station in Brentford. More info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brentford_branch_line

Taken with a Soviet made Zenith TTL SLR.

You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/

Taken in: UK / England / Ealing / Southall (show map)

Taken on: April 22, 1984

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Camera: NORITSU KOKI QSS-30 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NORITSU KOKI QSS-30
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	QSS-30 K001
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